Chapter Seven
The Civilization of Princess Universe
It was the beginning of the afternoon and dinner had just been served.
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Charon and the Moon Princess were all seated at a table in the dining room eating roast chicken chatting away about nothing in particular, changing their topic of conversation every few minutes. Queen Serenity had decided to eat with the princesses today as she always did whenever she had the time since she took pleasure from listening to their light-hearted and carefree chatter.
Serenity sat at the other end of the table taking small mouthfuls now and then as she listened to the talking - just then Universe wandered aimlessly past the doorway of the dining room.
Serenity glanced around and noticing her go past she called after her. "Good afternoon Universe! Why not come in and have dinner with us?"
Universe stopped and came back. "Don't mind if I do!" she enthused walking into the room.
Universe went up to the table and flopped down in a chair beside Mercury - what she did next made everybody stare.
Universe reached over the table and grabbed a handful of meat from the chicken in the middle of the table - everyone stared as she proceeded to tear it away from the carcass and stuff it all into her mouth at once! She had taken more meat that she could fit into her mouth and so some of it trailed out of her mouth like a fleshy tail.
Serenity watched as if she were mesmerised as Universe slowly swallowed down all of the meat and sucked the limp meat that trailed out of her mouth. The Queen could hardly believe what she had just seen and nor could the princesses who watched spellbound, some with open mouths.
Jupiter did not bother to hide her look of disgust. Having swallowed the mouthful Universe growled to herself. "Dammit! White meat...where's the fresh RED stuff?!!" she grumbled as she grabbed another handful which left the carcass in a state of devastation and stuffed the lot into her mouth chewing it up and sucking it up like pasta.
From Charon's lap Estrella had watched all of this with a look on her face that was a mix of fascination and admiration. "More than me eat!" she piped up.
"Want that leg on your plate Jupiter?" Universe asked through her mouthful. "I'll have it if not."
The look that Jupiter gave her was particularly unpleasant. "Don't mind me Universe!" she said sarcastically.
"Anything you say! Yoink!!"
Before Jupiter could so much as blink the drumstick was whisked away from beneath her nose and stripped of all meat.
Queen Serenity had no idea where to look.
Having eaten her fill Universe pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. "Ahhhh!" she sighed feeling full. "Later!"
With that she turned and walked out. A heavy silence had fallen upon the group at the table as they considered what had just happened.
Queen Serenity's expression said more than words ever could.
Eventually she spoke more to herself than to any of the princesses. "My goodness..." she murmured faintly.
~*~*~
As Queen Serenity walked demurely into the garden the following morning there was a thoughtful look on her face. There was something that had been on her mind since dinner the day before and she as rather troubled by the problem.
The princesses were in the garden and as she saw Charon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and her own daughter shouting encouragement to Estrella who was seeing how quickly she could run around a large leafy bush a slight smile appeared on her lips which then steadily spread.
Serenity had, had an idea that might solve her little problem. "Good morning girls." She greeted them making her presence in the garden known.
The princesses all turned around and saw her. "Good morning." They greeted her in return. Seeing Serenity Estrella skidded to a halt and ran forward. "Maj' stee!" the kitten squealed in delight.
Serenity gave her a fond smile. "Good morning Estrella." She replied and she turned to gaze at the princesses, noticing as she faced them that Universe was absent.
"Is Universe not with you?" she inquired mildly though she could clearly see that she was not.
"None of us have seen her at all this morning." Her daughter replied shaking her head.
"Mercury?" Serenity turned to look at the Mercurian questioningly – the Queen had noticed that since the day before Universe had become especially close to Mercury and she was comforted by that though she thought that the purple-haired girl needed to have more than one friend.
"I don't know where she is either your majesty." Mercury responded apologetically.
"I see. Well in any case I am glad that you are all together at the moment for I want to speak to all of you." Serenity continued as she took a seat on the garden bench. "There is something that has been worrying me for a few days now and I would like to ask a favour of all of you."
The princesses wondered what Queen Serenity could possibly want of them. "Whatever do you mean mother?" her daughter asked.
"I suppose that you were all quite bemused by Universe's performance at dinner yesterday?" Serenity suggested as she looked around at each of them in turn to see their reactions.
There was an emphatic snort from Jupiter's direction but the others all suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. All of them were unable to deny that they had been left reeling by Universe's display of table manners but they were unwilling to say as much.
Perceiving their discomfort Serenity gave a light laugh. "Do not worry, I understand how you all feel." She assured them all. "I do not want you to say anything against her. But I have been thinking about the problem for a long time now and just now I thought of a way to improve Universe's manners."
"But how can we help?" Venus wondered as she felt more and more puzzled. "What can we do?"
Serenity smiled – it had been worrying her all night and all morning. She had finally realised the great oversight that she had made when she had decided to make Universe a princess.
Though Universe now looked like a princess she was still a rough mannered wild-girl on the inside and that just would not do at all. The solution to this newly discovered difficulty had occurred to her as her eyes had fallen upon the other princesses a few moments ago…
"This is my request – I would like all of you to help her." Serenity explained as she felt forward. "I want you all to show her what she ought to do, how she ought to speak to people how to walk and teach her proper manners as well as etiquette at the dinner table."
"Oh!" Venus exclaimed thoughtfully as she considered all of this.
The faces of the others were all very doubtful as they thought about the Queen's request. The main thing on their minds that worried them was how Universe would probably take this. Jupiter's eyes had narrowed and gleamed unpleasantly at the mere thought of doing anything to help Universe…
Sensing their uneasiness Serenity went on. "I would appreciate it very much if you could do this favour for me. You see the real problem is that Universe herself does not see that there is anything wrong about her mannerisms and speech but if you were all to teach her how to do things correctly then I feel certain that she would make an effort to change." She looked at each of them once more. "So will you do this favour for me?"
"Of course!" Venus exclaimed beaming as her eager enthusiasm got to grips with the idea of teaching Universe about the ways of royalty.
"I would love to help." Charon volunteered pleasantly.
"I shall also do my best." Mercury replied at once.
Though Mars and her daughter responded just as positively to her request Serenity noted that Jupiter's voice was the only one that she did not hear. "Jupiter?" she prompted the tall princess mildly but with a firm note in her voice.
Jupiter shuffled scowling but realised that there was no getting out of this. "Sure." She muttered grudgingly. "I'll do it."
The Queen smiled expansively as she thought that perhaps this solution might just achieve solve two problems at once. Not only would Universe's speech, manners and eating habits that at the moment left much to be desired be corrected but perhaps this would also help bring Universe closer to the princesses with whom she was still having problems.
"Thank you all – I am grateful for your support my dears." Serenity smiled as she rose to her feet. "I knew that I would be able to depend on you all to help. Now be sure to do your best!"
"You don't have to worry about a thing your majesty/" Venus exclaimed. "Leave it all to us!"
"Well then since you are so confident about it I will. Goodbye now girls." Serenity bade all of them fond farewell as she decided that it was now time for her to see to other business,
"Goodbye Maj' stee!" Estrella squeaked as she ran forward and leapt up into Serenity's arms to beam up at her beloved Queen.
Serenity smiled as she stroked the top of the kitten's head. "Goodbye Estrella." She said fondly and with that the Queen of the Moon Kingdom set her down on the ground again.
"I can't believe this!" Jupiter muttered is disgust as she shook her head and thought about what they all now had to do.
"Well I can't wait to get started!" Venus said eagerly as her eyes shone, the blonde princess could barely wait to get started on the task at hand. "Come on – let's find Universe and tell her the good news right away!"
~*~*~
As she heard several footsteps coming up behind her Universe turned around hardly knowing what to expect and stared blankly as she was surrounded by the other Princesses. "What do you guys want?" she growled not a little apprehensively.
"You!" Charon replied as she folded her arms across her chest and smiled. "You see it simply isn't good enough Universe!"
Universe took a bite out of the drumstick she held in her hand and grunted discontentedly. "Too right! Frickin' white meat!" she muttered. "Isn't worth a crap!"
Mercury and the Moon princess both winced quite visibly but said nothing.
"What Charon actually meant Universe was your performance at dinner yesterday," Venus explained helpfully.
Universe just stared at her. "What was wrong with that?" she snapped.
"Everything Universe. And so Queen Serenity has asked us to teach you how to eat your food properly." Venus grinned as she waited for Universe's happy response.
"But I already know how to eat! You just open your mouth, put the food in and then swallow it!" Universe took another bite out of the drumstick and gulped it down to prove her point. "See?"
"What Venus means is that Queen Serenity wants us to teach you how to eat nicely." Mercury explained helpfully.
Universe looked blankly at her. "What do you mean 'nicely'?" she muttered as a scowl covered her face. "How do you eat 'nicely'?"
"Well you really should not swallow your mouthful so loudly. Also you really ought to keep your mouth closed while chewing." Charon said. "And that isn't all Universe. Queen Serenity has also asked us to teach you manners as well!"
"Manners?" Universe repeated the word as if she'd never heard it before in her entire life as she stared.
"Yes like how to talk to people and how to act nicely around guests." Charon elaborated with a lovely smile.
"What's wrong with the way I talk?" Universe demanded hotly.
"Well to begin with Universe you must stop saying 'yeah' when you mean 'yes." The Moon princess explained kindly. "And it really would be better if you were to use the word 'awful or 'horrible' instead of…" she went quiet and blushed as she found herself unable to say the word that Universe herself used so often,
"Crap?" Universe suggested helpfully.
"Yes…" the Moon princess mumbled quietly as she went red to the tips of her ears.
Universe groaned. "Do I have to?" she exclaimed petulantly.
"Yes I'm afraid so." Charon smiled cheerfully. "We will begin this very minute! Come Universe!"
With that Charon and Venus both grabbed the purple-haired princess's arms and pulled at them until she started out of the room with them.
~*~*~
"All right now try doing it like this!" Venus suggested as she stood back.
Charon and Venus were standing on either side of Universe who had been seated in front of the dinner table in the hall. On the table in front of her was placed a plate on which sat a joint of tasty looking beef soaked in steaming gravy.
"Can I eat now?" Universe asked impatiently.
"Not just yet." Charon replied sternly as she stood over Universe with her arms folded. "Remember Universe we are doing this so that you can learn to eat NICELY. And that means that you can't eat using your bare hands anymore."
"From now on you must eat your food using a knife and fork." Venus put in edgeways, eager to say something helpful.
"And until then you will just have to go without." Charon concluded severely. "Now look here Universe you are going to learn how to speak and how to eat nicely so you may as well get used to the idea. Alright?"
The green-haired princess's tone brooked no argument so Universe wisely decided to give in and let herself to be carried along with the flow…for now anyway.
"Okay." she submitted grudgingly. "Let's do this."
"Very sensible of you. Now pick up the knife and fork in front of you." Charon instructed her in a very business-like voice.
Universe looked at the table and for the first time since she'd been ushered to the chair she noticed the silver knife and fork that lay neatly on either side of the plate – obediently she picked them up one in either hand.
"Well?" she inquired as she sat waiting for further instructions.
"Now use them to eat the beef!" Venus told her. "Let us see how you do without help first."
Universe gave a shrug and then she stabbed the blade of the knife straight into the beef so hard that the dull thud it made as it hit the plate underneath made everyone wince. Having done that Universe used to knife to hold the joint in place as she tried to rip a chunk out of it with her fork…
"Stop!" Charon exclaimed as she grabbed Universe by the wrist. "That isn't right at all!"
Universe looked at her with an exasperated glower on her face. "And why not" she demanded rather politely she thought.
Honestly she'd done her best for this bloody Charonian!
Mars stood by watching the very meagre progress that was being made – the raven-haired princess's task was to make certain that Universe remained sitting up in the chair completely straight and with dignity. Mars stayed quiet as she watched but she could not help feeling uneasy as she watched her best friend shower Universe with so much attention. Mars had noticed that Charon seemed to have become fascinated with this girl ever since she had first arrived a few days ago and she was not sure that she liked that…
Charon opened her mouth to explain to Universe just what precisely had been wrong with her performance but in the next second she realised that she would do much better by saving her breath. "Here." She offered as she walked up to stand behind Universe. "Let me show you."
Leaning over her shoulder Charon took the others girl's wrists in her hands. At once she felt Universe stiffen rigidly in response to her gentle touch. "It's alright…don't worry." She told her in a soft whisper.
Charon didn't know exactly how but she sensed that this girl had been treated very badly at some point in her life and she felt protective of her. Universe relaxed as Charon manoeuvred her hands to use the fork to hold the beef in place while she used to knife to cut a small piece of the meat away from the joint.
Universe's face was expressionless as Charon moved her hands to bring the piece of meat up to her mouth. "Now open your mouth and put in the food…oh and remember to keep your mouth closed while you chew." Charon told her.
Universe complied and gradually she had successfully chewed the meat and swallowed it down. "That was good Universe!" Charon complimented her with a smile as she let go of her wrists and stepped back from her.
"You did brilliantly!" Venus exclaimed. "Well done Universe!"
Charon looked over at Mars, noticing that her friend had not said anything. "Don't you think that she did well Mars?" she asked.
Mars saw the expectant look on Charon's face and smiled warmly. "Of course she did well Charon…very well indeed." She replied enthusiastically but though she was complimenting Universe it was the face of her friend that her eyes were fixed on as she spoke.
"Yeah! So I guess that we're all done then!" Universe exclaimed brightly as she stared to rise to her feet.
"Ah but not quite." Charon put in firmly as she placed her hand on Universe's shoulder and pressed her back into the chair. "Now let us see how you do without my help."
Universe stared at the beef dismally and she groaned inwardly. Picking up the fork once more she dug it into the meat…
Good…there was that part done.
With her confidence growing with each second she sawed at the meat with the knife as she dragged at it with the fork…
She was doing it! She was actually doing it!
Finally the small piece of meat came away from the rest of the joint…however she had been applying so much pressure to it with the fork that it came away with such force that the fork flew out of her hand.
Charon, Venus, Mars and Universe watched as the forked landed on the other side of the hall with a clink. For a very long moment Charon gazed at the fork as it lay shining on the floor and then turning her head she stared at Universe with new eyes as she thought about what had just happened.
When she finally found her voice again it was very mild. "Why don't we try this all over again from the very beginning?" she suggested.
~*~*~
Next came Mercury's turn to teach Universe proper manners.
It was the blue-haired Princess's appointed duty to teach Universe how to speak and act politely but despite her deep friendship with the purple-haired girl Mercury had deep misgivings about the whole arrangement.
Teach Universe…manners? She had thought bleakly when the others had chosen her for the task supposedly by random decision. Mercury liked Universe a lot but as her close friend she also knew that the purple-haired princess was very set in her life-long habits and that any attempt to convince her to do things and behave differently than she always had would be greeted very frostily.
However when she had met with Universe, Mercury had been taken by surprise by her apparent cheeriness towards the prospect.
Mercury had expected her to be extremely unwilling about the entire thing and so she was understandably quite surprised. "Well let's not waste our time." Universe smirked as she rolled her eyes and put her hands behind her head to relax.
Mercury looked at her feeling puzzled by Universe's apparently easy acceptance of the long process she was now about to undergo. "You seem to be fine with the idea of learning your manners Universe." She volunteered warily.
Universe laughed casually. "Oh come on Mercury – stop playing with me!" she retorted as she lowered her arms to hang by her sides. "So what are we gonna do to kill time until we've waited long enough for this to seem natural?"
Mercury was confused as she gazed at her. "Whatever do you mean Universe?" she wondered.
Universe just laughed again and gave the Mercurian a conspiratorial wink. Oh you know?" she said as she grinned saucily. "Well come on Mercury?" she snickered.
"What?" Mercury smiled awkwardly as she felt more and more baffled. "What do you mean?"
"Oh come on! Are you telling me that it was just a coincidence that you got picked to teach me manners?" Universe grinned knowingly. "Just don't go to easy on me Mercury – that's all I ask!"
"But of course I won't!" Mercury exclaimed widening her eyes in surprise. "Universe how do you ever expect to learn if you try to avoid it?"
Universe's smirk slowly left her face as she realised that Mercury was serious. "So…you're not going to go easy on me and then tell the others that I worked really hard at it?" she exclaimed with an appalled look on her face as she realised that the blue-haired girl really intended to put her through it.
"Certainly not!" Mercury replied shaking her head in firm refusal.
Universe was taken aback as Mercury stood her ground – it was something that she hadn't come to expect from the shy princess in the short time that she'd known her.
"But I thought we were friends…" she said meekly.
Mercury's stern expression didn't even waver as she placed her hands on her hips. "Universe it is because I am your friend that I want you to do well without cheating!" she told her severely. "Don't you want Queen Serenity to be proud of you?"
Universe shuffled stubbornly. "I guess so…" she muttered rebelliously.
"Good." Mercury smiled. "Then shall we begin now?"
Universe sighed as she prepared herself for the very worst. "Alright…" she muttered a little apprehensively. "What's first?"
"First we will go through basic greetings." Mercury smiled as she started to intruct Universe in proper courtesy. "Now tell me Universe – how would you greet somebody whom you had just been introduced to?"
Universe was sure she knew the answer to that one. "I always say 'Hey there, how're ya doin'?" she replied full of confidence.
"No Universe." Mercury chided her as she shook her head firmly. "That is not right."
"Well how the hell should I say 'hi' to somebody I hardly even know then?" Universe snapped irritably.
Mercury decided to ignore the four-lettered word for the time being – she would have time to work on Universe's vocabulary later.
"Well there are many different ways of greeting people Universe…" Mercury began and then paused for a moment before deciding to use a comparison. "One way of doing so is by taking the hand of the lady you have just been introduced to and hold it in your own so that the back of her hand faces upward. Then that person kisses the ladies hand…"
As she heard this Universe's eyes brightened – she liked the sound of that. "I can handle that!" she exclaimed.
Mercury blinked in surprise as Universe gently took hold of her hand and turned it over. "Oh – no Universe you don't understand!" she exclaimed laughing. "That greeting is used by men…"
But even as she spoke the purple-haired girl drew her hand up to her lips and pressed them gently against the Mercurian's soft skin kissing it soundly.
Mercury was at a total loss for words as Universe held the kiss for a long time. When she finally let go of Mercury's hand Universe was smiling pleasurably – partly because she felt sure that she had passed the lesson but also because she had liked the experience.
Mercury's skin was so warm and soft…there was just something so comforting about the blue-haired princess.
Mercury's eyes were thoughtful as she gazed at Universe and thought about what she had just done. "Why don't we go on to the next stage?" she suggested mildly as she gently placed her hand over the one that had been kissed.
"Sure." Universe grinned confidently.
"Er…Universe?" Mercury asked and all of a sudden her voice sounded strangely hesitant.
"Yeah?"
"…nothing." Mercury sighed as she shook her head and decided to let the matter drop.
~*~*~
Last came the turn of Jupiter and the Moon Princess whose task it had been decided by the Princesses would be to teach Universe how to act and walk gracefully. The Moon Princess had realised while the two of them had discussed how they would best be able to help the purple-haired girl to behave more elegantly in company that it would really be for the best if she were to take the lead.
By now all of the Princesses had noted that Jupiter held a barely veiled disliking for Universe and so the Princess of the Moon Kingdom had wisely decided that it would be a lot easier if it were she who taught their student.
So it had been arranged and now the Moon Princess was busily engaged trying to teach Universe how to walk with elegance and grace in each footstep as Jupiter watched with an unpleasant scowl on her face.
"Try to keep your feet moving at set and steady pace Universe." She advised as she slowly walked towards the purple-haired girl who watched intently. "Always try to stay relaxed as you walk and always keep in mind one very important thing."
Universe was entranced by each and ever precise and dainty step that the Moon Princess took – the elegance of her movements seemed to flow like water and left Universe feeling spellbound as she watched her instructor walk.
In fact she had been so mesmerised that she had not realised that the Moon Princess had come to a stop right in front of her until she found herself gazing into her lovely eyes. "What's this big secret?" she inquired – only just succeeding in preventing herself from leaping out of her shoes in shock.
"What you must never allow yourself to forget no matter what the circumstances may be is this Universe – a lady must never run in public." The Moon Princess warned her seriously.
Universe simply stared at her. "What?" she asked perplexed by what she had just been told, a blank look on her face. "You're telling me that I'm not even allowed to run when I want to now?"
"I am afraid not." The Moon Princess shook her head firmly. "It simply isn't lady-like to run Universe. You must always be sure to walk."
Universe could only stare at Queen Serenity's daughter in utter disbelief as she completely failed to comprehend what she had just been told – it seemed to her that there must surely be some flaw in her reasoning and the purple-haired girl felt a bitter resentment…it was as if a very important part of herself had been stolen away.
"So just how huge a monster would it take to crash in through the wall of the Throne-Room for it to be socially acceptable for me to run for my life?" she retorted heatedly.
A smile crossed the Lunarian Princess's face as she fought hard to stifle a giggle at this remark. "Well now that I have shown you how to walk gracefully Universe it is your turn to show me if you can do the same." She smiled.
Universe's face became anxious as she remembered the flowing way that the Moon Princess had walked and found that she could not imagine herself moving so daintily.
Seeing the worried expression on Universe's face the Moon Princess felt sympathetic knowing that she was afraid of making herself look foolish. "Please accept my help Universe." She offered kindly as she walked over to the purple-haired girl – VERY elegantly.
Universe stood silent as the younger girl stood behind her – she wondered what the Moon princess was going to do. "Try to walk with your shoulders in this position Universe." The princess suggested as she reached out and gently placed the tips of her fingers on the other girl's bare back.
Universe's face wore a whimsical expression as her shoulder blades were kind of re-arranged in a way that altered her posture and poise so that she found herself standing completely straight.
"There." smiled the Moon Princess as Universe felt bemused by what she had just done to her. "Now hold that posture and remember how I walked a moment ago Universe – then try to do precisely as I did."
Universe sighed inwardly and focusing all of her concentration into what she was doing the purple-haired princess tried to imitate the Lunarian's dainty, feminine steps…
In the very next moment Universe had trodden on the skirt of her dress and, tripping over, she fell flat on her face. The Moon princess gasped and hurried to assist Universe as she lay stunned on the hard ground of the courtyard.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright Universe?" she exclaimed as she knelt down to help the sprawled girl back to her feet.
Universe was silent – she was upset and her face burned with embarrassment as the Moon princess helped her up.
Jupiter watched the stunned and subdued Universe with a satisfied smirk on her face as she resisted the strong urge to laughed out loud scornfully at the brown-eyed Princess's effort to walk daintily.
~*~*~
"Well - I would say that Universe had done very well indeed." Charon smiled proudly as she sat on a bench beneath the shade provided by a long-branched tree some considerable time later. "Perhaps she was difficult when we told her that she was expected to improve her ways but she had made such a great effort to learn!"
"I agree." Mercury smiled as she remembered how hard Universe had tried while she had been teaching her manners and etiquette.
Mercury thought about how eager Universe had been to do well but it did not occur to her that out of all of them her task had been the easiest since Universe had been very compliant and almost desperate to please her.
Now that their lessons were finished Charon was sitting in her garden with Mercury, Mars and Venus. Estrella sat in the Charonian princess's lap as they waited for the Moon princess and Jupiter to bring Universe back to them and report on how well she had performed.
It had been a few hours since Mercury had concluded teaching Universe her manners and since then she had spent her time talking about the lesson and describing it to the other – then she had sat and quietly listened to Venus's account of Universe's performance at the dinner table under her enthusiastic tutelage.
As the other three talked Charon simply smiled and kept quiet as she petted Estrella who purred with delight.
"Well – I must tell you all that I feel brilliant." Venus beamed as she thought about how diligently she, Charon and Mars had worked to perfect Universe's table manners. "Universe's habits are so refined now that we've helped her aren't they?"
"Yes." Mercury nodded and her smile was pleasant as she inwardly agreed that Universe had been a good student – if an unwilling one. "She had indeed Venus."
"You can say that again!" Venus laughed as she remembered the deep despondency that had been on Universe's face when she had been given the news that she needed to learn her manners. "Universe's manners certainly aren't as awful as they used to be!"
At this Charon looked up sharply and her face became slightly pensive as she looked at her friend – she knew that Venus had not meant any offence by what she had just said, the blonde princess was so innocent and eager that sometimes she forgot to think before she voiced her thoughts.
"Er Venus…I really do think that you had better be careful of what you say when Universe comes back." Charon remarked with a look of concern on her face. "I know that her manners did leave something to be desired but we don't want to hurt her feelings!"
"Oh of course I don't!" Venus exclaimed anxiously. "I know that it wasn't Universe's fault that her manners were so bad. Universe simply wasn't brought up well enough for her to know any better, poor thing."
Mercury lowered her eyes as she felt unbearably uncomfortable – she didn't like what venus was saying about Universe at all but she was too shy to object about it.
Charon's expression became more and more worried – she was not angry with Venus for she knew that she was speaking without thinking first but she was very worried about how Universe would react if Venus said any of this in her presence. "Venus…" she began seriously. "I really don't think…"
"Oh don't interrupt her Charon." A bitter voice interrupted. "I was just getting interested in that!"
Charon's heart plunged to the very depths of her body as she and the others spun around – their faces were covered with deep dismay.
Universe's face was flushed with humiliation as she stood glowering at them all with an intensely bitter look on her face. Behind her stood the Moon Princess whose faced wore a very worried expression as she gazed at the angry Universe – beside her stood Jupiter who was trying to keep herself from sniggering as she looked at Universe's expression.
Charon was so overwhelmed by dismay that for a few minutes she couldn't even speak. "Universe…" she finally stammered with no idea what she could possibly say.
"So…that's what all of you really think!" Universe interrupted, her voice furious.
"I am sorry Universe!" Venus exclaimed, her face apologetic and dismayed. "I didn't mean any of the things I said about you being brought up badly and your manners being horrible! Please don't be upset with me!"
Charon covered her eyes with one hand and shook her head slowly from side to side as Venus prattled on into deeper and dangerous water…
"Oh you meant every single word of it!" Universe yelled as she glared at all of them in turn. "All of that crap about wanting to help me…the hell with you all! So come on – let's hear what the rest of you guys think of me!"
"Anything you say." Jupiter snapped as she stepped up to stand right in front of the purple-haired girl and folded her arms. "The truth is that the only reason we even did all of this was that the Queen asked us to do it as a favour. For all I care you can stay as foul-mouthed in decent company as you want Universe!"
There was a horrible pause as Universe glared furiously at her. Nobody cares about me but the Star Raiders… she thought bitterly as she made up her mind on the spot. …and nobody cares about the Star Raiders except me! And then finally, inevitably she exploded. "You're nothing but a bunch of hypocrites!" she yelled. "And I'm not staying here for a second longer!"
Before any of them could bat an eyelid she turned and with stunning agility vaulted over a tall-climbing bush and disappeared from sight.
"Wait!" the Moon Princess called after her as she finally found her voice. "Come back!"
But it was too late…Universe was gone.
Estrella jumped out of Charon's arms and ran forward calling out at the top of her voice. "Come back!" she exclaimed. "Come back!"
"Oh dear…" Mercury murmured so softly that none of the others even heard her – the blue-haired girls face was a mask of utter dismay as she stood staring at the spot where Universe had been standing a moment ago.
"Gone back to where she belongs I bet…back to those Star Raider friends of hers!" Jupiter grunted. "Good riddance if you ask me!"
The Civilization of Princess Universe
It was the beginning of the afternoon and dinner had just been served.
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Charon and the Moon Princess were all seated at a table in the dining room eating roast chicken chatting away about nothing in particular, changing their topic of conversation every few minutes. Queen Serenity had decided to eat with the princesses today as she always did whenever she had the time since she took pleasure from listening to their light-hearted and carefree chatter.
Serenity sat at the other end of the table taking small mouthfuls now and then as she listened to the talking - just then Universe wandered aimlessly past the doorway of the dining room.
Serenity glanced around and noticing her go past she called after her. "Good afternoon Universe! Why not come in and have dinner with us?"
Universe stopped and came back. "Don't mind if I do!" she enthused walking into the room.
Universe went up to the table and flopped down in a chair beside Mercury - what she did next made everybody stare.
Universe reached over the table and grabbed a handful of meat from the chicken in the middle of the table - everyone stared as she proceeded to tear it away from the carcass and stuff it all into her mouth at once! She had taken more meat that she could fit into her mouth and so some of it trailed out of her mouth like a fleshy tail.
Serenity watched as if she were mesmerised as Universe slowly swallowed down all of the meat and sucked the limp meat that trailed out of her mouth. The Queen could hardly believe what she had just seen and nor could the princesses who watched spellbound, some with open mouths.
Jupiter did not bother to hide her look of disgust. Having swallowed the mouthful Universe growled to herself. "Dammit! White meat...where's the fresh RED stuff?!!" she grumbled as she grabbed another handful which left the carcass in a state of devastation and stuffed the lot into her mouth chewing it up and sucking it up like pasta.
From Charon's lap Estrella had watched all of this with a look on her face that was a mix of fascination and admiration. "More than me eat!" she piped up.
"Want that leg on your plate Jupiter?" Universe asked through her mouthful. "I'll have it if not."
The look that Jupiter gave her was particularly unpleasant. "Don't mind me Universe!" she said sarcastically.
"Anything you say! Yoink!!"
Before Jupiter could so much as blink the drumstick was whisked away from beneath her nose and stripped of all meat.
Queen Serenity had no idea where to look.
Having eaten her fill Universe pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. "Ahhhh!" she sighed feeling full. "Later!"
With that she turned and walked out. A heavy silence had fallen upon the group at the table as they considered what had just happened.
Queen Serenity's expression said more than words ever could.
Eventually she spoke more to herself than to any of the princesses. "My goodness..." she murmured faintly.
~*~*~
As Queen Serenity walked demurely into the garden the following morning there was a thoughtful look on her face. There was something that had been on her mind since dinner the day before and she as rather troubled by the problem.
The princesses were in the garden and as she saw Charon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and her own daughter shouting encouragement to Estrella who was seeing how quickly she could run around a large leafy bush a slight smile appeared on her lips which then steadily spread.
Serenity had, had an idea that might solve her little problem. "Good morning girls." She greeted them making her presence in the garden known.
The princesses all turned around and saw her. "Good morning." They greeted her in return. Seeing Serenity Estrella skidded to a halt and ran forward. "Maj' stee!" the kitten squealed in delight.
Serenity gave her a fond smile. "Good morning Estrella." She replied and she turned to gaze at the princesses, noticing as she faced them that Universe was absent.
"Is Universe not with you?" she inquired mildly though she could clearly see that she was not.
"None of us have seen her at all this morning." Her daughter replied shaking her head.
"Mercury?" Serenity turned to look at the Mercurian questioningly – the Queen had noticed that since the day before Universe had become especially close to Mercury and she was comforted by that though she thought that the purple-haired girl needed to have more than one friend.
"I don't know where she is either your majesty." Mercury responded apologetically.
"I see. Well in any case I am glad that you are all together at the moment for I want to speak to all of you." Serenity continued as she took a seat on the garden bench. "There is something that has been worrying me for a few days now and I would like to ask a favour of all of you."
The princesses wondered what Queen Serenity could possibly want of them. "Whatever do you mean mother?" her daughter asked.
"I suppose that you were all quite bemused by Universe's performance at dinner yesterday?" Serenity suggested as she looked around at each of them in turn to see their reactions.
There was an emphatic snort from Jupiter's direction but the others all suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. All of them were unable to deny that they had been left reeling by Universe's display of table manners but they were unwilling to say as much.
Perceiving their discomfort Serenity gave a light laugh. "Do not worry, I understand how you all feel." She assured them all. "I do not want you to say anything against her. But I have been thinking about the problem for a long time now and just now I thought of a way to improve Universe's manners."
"But how can we help?" Venus wondered as she felt more and more puzzled. "What can we do?"
Serenity smiled – it had been worrying her all night and all morning. She had finally realised the great oversight that she had made when she had decided to make Universe a princess.
Though Universe now looked like a princess she was still a rough mannered wild-girl on the inside and that just would not do at all. The solution to this newly discovered difficulty had occurred to her as her eyes had fallen upon the other princesses a few moments ago…
"This is my request – I would like all of you to help her." Serenity explained as she felt forward. "I want you all to show her what she ought to do, how she ought to speak to people how to walk and teach her proper manners as well as etiquette at the dinner table."
"Oh!" Venus exclaimed thoughtfully as she considered all of this.
The faces of the others were all very doubtful as they thought about the Queen's request. The main thing on their minds that worried them was how Universe would probably take this. Jupiter's eyes had narrowed and gleamed unpleasantly at the mere thought of doing anything to help Universe…
Sensing their uneasiness Serenity went on. "I would appreciate it very much if you could do this favour for me. You see the real problem is that Universe herself does not see that there is anything wrong about her mannerisms and speech but if you were all to teach her how to do things correctly then I feel certain that she would make an effort to change." She looked at each of them once more. "So will you do this favour for me?"
"Of course!" Venus exclaimed beaming as her eager enthusiasm got to grips with the idea of teaching Universe about the ways of royalty.
"I would love to help." Charon volunteered pleasantly.
"I shall also do my best." Mercury replied at once.
Though Mars and her daughter responded just as positively to her request Serenity noted that Jupiter's voice was the only one that she did not hear. "Jupiter?" she prompted the tall princess mildly but with a firm note in her voice.
Jupiter shuffled scowling but realised that there was no getting out of this. "Sure." She muttered grudgingly. "I'll do it."
The Queen smiled expansively as she thought that perhaps this solution might just achieve solve two problems at once. Not only would Universe's speech, manners and eating habits that at the moment left much to be desired be corrected but perhaps this would also help bring Universe closer to the princesses with whom she was still having problems.
"Thank you all – I am grateful for your support my dears." Serenity smiled as she rose to her feet. "I knew that I would be able to depend on you all to help. Now be sure to do your best!"
"You don't have to worry about a thing your majesty/" Venus exclaimed. "Leave it all to us!"
"Well then since you are so confident about it I will. Goodbye now girls." Serenity bade all of them fond farewell as she decided that it was now time for her to see to other business,
"Goodbye Maj' stee!" Estrella squeaked as she ran forward and leapt up into Serenity's arms to beam up at her beloved Queen.
Serenity smiled as she stroked the top of the kitten's head. "Goodbye Estrella." She said fondly and with that the Queen of the Moon Kingdom set her down on the ground again.
"I can't believe this!" Jupiter muttered is disgust as she shook her head and thought about what they all now had to do.
"Well I can't wait to get started!" Venus said eagerly as her eyes shone, the blonde princess could barely wait to get started on the task at hand. "Come on – let's find Universe and tell her the good news right away!"
~*~*~
As she heard several footsteps coming up behind her Universe turned around hardly knowing what to expect and stared blankly as she was surrounded by the other Princesses. "What do you guys want?" she growled not a little apprehensively.
"You!" Charon replied as she folded her arms across her chest and smiled. "You see it simply isn't good enough Universe!"
Universe took a bite out of the drumstick she held in her hand and grunted discontentedly. "Too right! Frickin' white meat!" she muttered. "Isn't worth a crap!"
Mercury and the Moon princess both winced quite visibly but said nothing.
"What Charon actually meant Universe was your performance at dinner yesterday," Venus explained helpfully.
Universe just stared at her. "What was wrong with that?" she snapped.
"Everything Universe. And so Queen Serenity has asked us to teach you how to eat your food properly." Venus grinned as she waited for Universe's happy response.
"But I already know how to eat! You just open your mouth, put the food in and then swallow it!" Universe took another bite out of the drumstick and gulped it down to prove her point. "See?"
"What Venus means is that Queen Serenity wants us to teach you how to eat nicely." Mercury explained helpfully.
Universe looked blankly at her. "What do you mean 'nicely'?" she muttered as a scowl covered her face. "How do you eat 'nicely'?"
"Well you really should not swallow your mouthful so loudly. Also you really ought to keep your mouth closed while chewing." Charon said. "And that isn't all Universe. Queen Serenity has also asked us to teach you manners as well!"
"Manners?" Universe repeated the word as if she'd never heard it before in her entire life as she stared.
"Yes like how to talk to people and how to act nicely around guests." Charon elaborated with a lovely smile.
"What's wrong with the way I talk?" Universe demanded hotly.
"Well to begin with Universe you must stop saying 'yeah' when you mean 'yes." The Moon princess explained kindly. "And it really would be better if you were to use the word 'awful or 'horrible' instead of…" she went quiet and blushed as she found herself unable to say the word that Universe herself used so often,
"Crap?" Universe suggested helpfully.
"Yes…" the Moon princess mumbled quietly as she went red to the tips of her ears.
Universe groaned. "Do I have to?" she exclaimed petulantly.
"Yes I'm afraid so." Charon smiled cheerfully. "We will begin this very minute! Come Universe!"
With that Charon and Venus both grabbed the purple-haired princess's arms and pulled at them until she started out of the room with them.
~*~*~
"All right now try doing it like this!" Venus suggested as she stood back.
Charon and Venus were standing on either side of Universe who had been seated in front of the dinner table in the hall. On the table in front of her was placed a plate on which sat a joint of tasty looking beef soaked in steaming gravy.
"Can I eat now?" Universe asked impatiently.
"Not just yet." Charon replied sternly as she stood over Universe with her arms folded. "Remember Universe we are doing this so that you can learn to eat NICELY. And that means that you can't eat using your bare hands anymore."
"From now on you must eat your food using a knife and fork." Venus put in edgeways, eager to say something helpful.
"And until then you will just have to go without." Charon concluded severely. "Now look here Universe you are going to learn how to speak and how to eat nicely so you may as well get used to the idea. Alright?"
The green-haired princess's tone brooked no argument so Universe wisely decided to give in and let herself to be carried along with the flow…for now anyway.
"Okay." she submitted grudgingly. "Let's do this."
"Very sensible of you. Now pick up the knife and fork in front of you." Charon instructed her in a very business-like voice.
Universe looked at the table and for the first time since she'd been ushered to the chair she noticed the silver knife and fork that lay neatly on either side of the plate – obediently she picked them up one in either hand.
"Well?" she inquired as she sat waiting for further instructions.
"Now use them to eat the beef!" Venus told her. "Let us see how you do without help first."
Universe gave a shrug and then she stabbed the blade of the knife straight into the beef so hard that the dull thud it made as it hit the plate underneath made everyone wince. Having done that Universe used to knife to hold the joint in place as she tried to rip a chunk out of it with her fork…
"Stop!" Charon exclaimed as she grabbed Universe by the wrist. "That isn't right at all!"
Universe looked at her with an exasperated glower on her face. "And why not" she demanded rather politely she thought.
Honestly she'd done her best for this bloody Charonian!
Mars stood by watching the very meagre progress that was being made – the raven-haired princess's task was to make certain that Universe remained sitting up in the chair completely straight and with dignity. Mars stayed quiet as she watched but she could not help feeling uneasy as she watched her best friend shower Universe with so much attention. Mars had noticed that Charon seemed to have become fascinated with this girl ever since she had first arrived a few days ago and she was not sure that she liked that…
Charon opened her mouth to explain to Universe just what precisely had been wrong with her performance but in the next second she realised that she would do much better by saving her breath. "Here." She offered as she walked up to stand behind Universe. "Let me show you."
Leaning over her shoulder Charon took the others girl's wrists in her hands. At once she felt Universe stiffen rigidly in response to her gentle touch. "It's alright…don't worry." She told her in a soft whisper.
Charon didn't know exactly how but she sensed that this girl had been treated very badly at some point in her life and she felt protective of her. Universe relaxed as Charon manoeuvred her hands to use the fork to hold the beef in place while she used to knife to cut a small piece of the meat away from the joint.
Universe's face was expressionless as Charon moved her hands to bring the piece of meat up to her mouth. "Now open your mouth and put in the food…oh and remember to keep your mouth closed while you chew." Charon told her.
Universe complied and gradually she had successfully chewed the meat and swallowed it down. "That was good Universe!" Charon complimented her with a smile as she let go of her wrists and stepped back from her.
"You did brilliantly!" Venus exclaimed. "Well done Universe!"
Charon looked over at Mars, noticing that her friend had not said anything. "Don't you think that she did well Mars?" she asked.
Mars saw the expectant look on Charon's face and smiled warmly. "Of course she did well Charon…very well indeed." She replied enthusiastically but though she was complimenting Universe it was the face of her friend that her eyes were fixed on as she spoke.
"Yeah! So I guess that we're all done then!" Universe exclaimed brightly as she stared to rise to her feet.
"Ah but not quite." Charon put in firmly as she placed her hand on Universe's shoulder and pressed her back into the chair. "Now let us see how you do without my help."
Universe stared at the beef dismally and she groaned inwardly. Picking up the fork once more she dug it into the meat…
Good…there was that part done.
With her confidence growing with each second she sawed at the meat with the knife as she dragged at it with the fork…
She was doing it! She was actually doing it!
Finally the small piece of meat came away from the rest of the joint…however she had been applying so much pressure to it with the fork that it came away with such force that the fork flew out of her hand.
Charon, Venus, Mars and Universe watched as the forked landed on the other side of the hall with a clink. For a very long moment Charon gazed at the fork as it lay shining on the floor and then turning her head she stared at Universe with new eyes as she thought about what had just happened.
When she finally found her voice again it was very mild. "Why don't we try this all over again from the very beginning?" she suggested.
~*~*~
Next came Mercury's turn to teach Universe proper manners.
It was the blue-haired Princess's appointed duty to teach Universe how to speak and act politely but despite her deep friendship with the purple-haired girl Mercury had deep misgivings about the whole arrangement.
Teach Universe…manners? She had thought bleakly when the others had chosen her for the task supposedly by random decision. Mercury liked Universe a lot but as her close friend she also knew that the purple-haired princess was very set in her life-long habits and that any attempt to convince her to do things and behave differently than she always had would be greeted very frostily.
However when she had met with Universe, Mercury had been taken by surprise by her apparent cheeriness towards the prospect.
Mercury had expected her to be extremely unwilling about the entire thing and so she was understandably quite surprised. "Well let's not waste our time." Universe smirked as she rolled her eyes and put her hands behind her head to relax.
Mercury looked at her feeling puzzled by Universe's apparently easy acceptance of the long process she was now about to undergo. "You seem to be fine with the idea of learning your manners Universe." She volunteered warily.
Universe laughed casually. "Oh come on Mercury – stop playing with me!" she retorted as she lowered her arms to hang by her sides. "So what are we gonna do to kill time until we've waited long enough for this to seem natural?"
Mercury was confused as she gazed at her. "Whatever do you mean Universe?" she wondered.
Universe just laughed again and gave the Mercurian a conspiratorial wink. Oh you know?" she said as she grinned saucily. "Well come on Mercury?" she snickered.
"What?" Mercury smiled awkwardly as she felt more and more baffled. "What do you mean?"
"Oh come on! Are you telling me that it was just a coincidence that you got picked to teach me manners?" Universe grinned knowingly. "Just don't go to easy on me Mercury – that's all I ask!"
"But of course I won't!" Mercury exclaimed widening her eyes in surprise. "Universe how do you ever expect to learn if you try to avoid it?"
Universe's smirk slowly left her face as she realised that Mercury was serious. "So…you're not going to go easy on me and then tell the others that I worked really hard at it?" she exclaimed with an appalled look on her face as she realised that the blue-haired girl really intended to put her through it.
"Certainly not!" Mercury replied shaking her head in firm refusal.
Universe was taken aback as Mercury stood her ground – it was something that she hadn't come to expect from the shy princess in the short time that she'd known her.
"But I thought we were friends…" she said meekly.
Mercury's stern expression didn't even waver as she placed her hands on her hips. "Universe it is because I am your friend that I want you to do well without cheating!" she told her severely. "Don't you want Queen Serenity to be proud of you?"
Universe shuffled stubbornly. "I guess so…" she muttered rebelliously.
"Good." Mercury smiled. "Then shall we begin now?"
Universe sighed as she prepared herself for the very worst. "Alright…" she muttered a little apprehensively. "What's first?"
"First we will go through basic greetings." Mercury smiled as she started to intruct Universe in proper courtesy. "Now tell me Universe – how would you greet somebody whom you had just been introduced to?"
Universe was sure she knew the answer to that one. "I always say 'Hey there, how're ya doin'?" she replied full of confidence.
"No Universe." Mercury chided her as she shook her head firmly. "That is not right."
"Well how the hell should I say 'hi' to somebody I hardly even know then?" Universe snapped irritably.
Mercury decided to ignore the four-lettered word for the time being – she would have time to work on Universe's vocabulary later.
"Well there are many different ways of greeting people Universe…" Mercury began and then paused for a moment before deciding to use a comparison. "One way of doing so is by taking the hand of the lady you have just been introduced to and hold it in your own so that the back of her hand faces upward. Then that person kisses the ladies hand…"
As she heard this Universe's eyes brightened – she liked the sound of that. "I can handle that!" she exclaimed.
Mercury blinked in surprise as Universe gently took hold of her hand and turned it over. "Oh – no Universe you don't understand!" she exclaimed laughing. "That greeting is used by men…"
But even as she spoke the purple-haired girl drew her hand up to her lips and pressed them gently against the Mercurian's soft skin kissing it soundly.
Mercury was at a total loss for words as Universe held the kiss for a long time. When she finally let go of Mercury's hand Universe was smiling pleasurably – partly because she felt sure that she had passed the lesson but also because she had liked the experience.
Mercury's skin was so warm and soft…there was just something so comforting about the blue-haired princess.
Mercury's eyes were thoughtful as she gazed at Universe and thought about what she had just done. "Why don't we go on to the next stage?" she suggested mildly as she gently placed her hand over the one that had been kissed.
"Sure." Universe grinned confidently.
"Er…Universe?" Mercury asked and all of a sudden her voice sounded strangely hesitant.
"Yeah?"
"…nothing." Mercury sighed as she shook her head and decided to let the matter drop.
~*~*~
Last came the turn of Jupiter and the Moon Princess whose task it had been decided by the Princesses would be to teach Universe how to act and walk gracefully. The Moon Princess had realised while the two of them had discussed how they would best be able to help the purple-haired girl to behave more elegantly in company that it would really be for the best if she were to take the lead.
By now all of the Princesses had noted that Jupiter held a barely veiled disliking for Universe and so the Princess of the Moon Kingdom had wisely decided that it would be a lot easier if it were she who taught their student.
So it had been arranged and now the Moon Princess was busily engaged trying to teach Universe how to walk with elegance and grace in each footstep as Jupiter watched with an unpleasant scowl on her face.
"Try to keep your feet moving at set and steady pace Universe." She advised as she slowly walked towards the purple-haired girl who watched intently. "Always try to stay relaxed as you walk and always keep in mind one very important thing."
Universe was entranced by each and ever precise and dainty step that the Moon Princess took – the elegance of her movements seemed to flow like water and left Universe feeling spellbound as she watched her instructor walk.
In fact she had been so mesmerised that she had not realised that the Moon Princess had come to a stop right in front of her until she found herself gazing into her lovely eyes. "What's this big secret?" she inquired – only just succeeding in preventing herself from leaping out of her shoes in shock.
"What you must never allow yourself to forget no matter what the circumstances may be is this Universe – a lady must never run in public." The Moon Princess warned her seriously.
Universe simply stared at her. "What?" she asked perplexed by what she had just been told, a blank look on her face. "You're telling me that I'm not even allowed to run when I want to now?"
"I am afraid not." The Moon Princess shook her head firmly. "It simply isn't lady-like to run Universe. You must always be sure to walk."
Universe could only stare at Queen Serenity's daughter in utter disbelief as she completely failed to comprehend what she had just been told – it seemed to her that there must surely be some flaw in her reasoning and the purple-haired girl felt a bitter resentment…it was as if a very important part of herself had been stolen away.
"So just how huge a monster would it take to crash in through the wall of the Throne-Room for it to be socially acceptable for me to run for my life?" she retorted heatedly.
A smile crossed the Lunarian Princess's face as she fought hard to stifle a giggle at this remark. "Well now that I have shown you how to walk gracefully Universe it is your turn to show me if you can do the same." She smiled.
Universe's face became anxious as she remembered the flowing way that the Moon Princess had walked and found that she could not imagine herself moving so daintily.
Seeing the worried expression on Universe's face the Moon Princess felt sympathetic knowing that she was afraid of making herself look foolish. "Please accept my help Universe." She offered kindly as she walked over to the purple-haired girl – VERY elegantly.
Universe stood silent as the younger girl stood behind her – she wondered what the Moon princess was going to do. "Try to walk with your shoulders in this position Universe." The princess suggested as she reached out and gently placed the tips of her fingers on the other girl's bare back.
Universe's face wore a whimsical expression as her shoulder blades were kind of re-arranged in a way that altered her posture and poise so that she found herself standing completely straight.
"There." smiled the Moon Princess as Universe felt bemused by what she had just done to her. "Now hold that posture and remember how I walked a moment ago Universe – then try to do precisely as I did."
Universe sighed inwardly and focusing all of her concentration into what she was doing the purple-haired princess tried to imitate the Lunarian's dainty, feminine steps…
In the very next moment Universe had trodden on the skirt of her dress and, tripping over, she fell flat on her face. The Moon princess gasped and hurried to assist Universe as she lay stunned on the hard ground of the courtyard.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright Universe?" she exclaimed as she knelt down to help the sprawled girl back to her feet.
Universe was silent – she was upset and her face burned with embarrassment as the Moon princess helped her up.
Jupiter watched the stunned and subdued Universe with a satisfied smirk on her face as she resisted the strong urge to laughed out loud scornfully at the brown-eyed Princess's effort to walk daintily.
~*~*~
"Well - I would say that Universe had done very well indeed." Charon smiled proudly as she sat on a bench beneath the shade provided by a long-branched tree some considerable time later. "Perhaps she was difficult when we told her that she was expected to improve her ways but she had made such a great effort to learn!"
"I agree." Mercury smiled as she remembered how hard Universe had tried while she had been teaching her manners and etiquette.
Mercury thought about how eager Universe had been to do well but it did not occur to her that out of all of them her task had been the easiest since Universe had been very compliant and almost desperate to please her.
Now that their lessons were finished Charon was sitting in her garden with Mercury, Mars and Venus. Estrella sat in the Charonian princess's lap as they waited for the Moon princess and Jupiter to bring Universe back to them and report on how well she had performed.
It had been a few hours since Mercury had concluded teaching Universe her manners and since then she had spent her time talking about the lesson and describing it to the other – then she had sat and quietly listened to Venus's account of Universe's performance at the dinner table under her enthusiastic tutelage.
As the other three talked Charon simply smiled and kept quiet as she petted Estrella who purred with delight.
"Well – I must tell you all that I feel brilliant." Venus beamed as she thought about how diligently she, Charon and Mars had worked to perfect Universe's table manners. "Universe's habits are so refined now that we've helped her aren't they?"
"Yes." Mercury nodded and her smile was pleasant as she inwardly agreed that Universe had been a good student – if an unwilling one. "She had indeed Venus."
"You can say that again!" Venus laughed as she remembered the deep despondency that had been on Universe's face when she had been given the news that she needed to learn her manners. "Universe's manners certainly aren't as awful as they used to be!"
At this Charon looked up sharply and her face became slightly pensive as she looked at her friend – she knew that Venus had not meant any offence by what she had just said, the blonde princess was so innocent and eager that sometimes she forgot to think before she voiced her thoughts.
"Er Venus…I really do think that you had better be careful of what you say when Universe comes back." Charon remarked with a look of concern on her face. "I know that her manners did leave something to be desired but we don't want to hurt her feelings!"
"Oh of course I don't!" Venus exclaimed anxiously. "I know that it wasn't Universe's fault that her manners were so bad. Universe simply wasn't brought up well enough for her to know any better, poor thing."
Mercury lowered her eyes as she felt unbearably uncomfortable – she didn't like what venus was saying about Universe at all but she was too shy to object about it.
Charon's expression became more and more worried – she was not angry with Venus for she knew that she was speaking without thinking first but she was very worried about how Universe would react if Venus said any of this in her presence. "Venus…" she began seriously. "I really don't think…"
"Oh don't interrupt her Charon." A bitter voice interrupted. "I was just getting interested in that!"
Charon's heart plunged to the very depths of her body as she and the others spun around – their faces were covered with deep dismay.
Universe's face was flushed with humiliation as she stood glowering at them all with an intensely bitter look on her face. Behind her stood the Moon Princess whose faced wore a very worried expression as she gazed at the angry Universe – beside her stood Jupiter who was trying to keep herself from sniggering as she looked at Universe's expression.
Charon was so overwhelmed by dismay that for a few minutes she couldn't even speak. "Universe…" she finally stammered with no idea what she could possibly say.
"So…that's what all of you really think!" Universe interrupted, her voice furious.
"I am sorry Universe!" Venus exclaimed, her face apologetic and dismayed. "I didn't mean any of the things I said about you being brought up badly and your manners being horrible! Please don't be upset with me!"
Charon covered her eyes with one hand and shook her head slowly from side to side as Venus prattled on into deeper and dangerous water…
"Oh you meant every single word of it!" Universe yelled as she glared at all of them in turn. "All of that crap about wanting to help me…the hell with you all! So come on – let's hear what the rest of you guys think of me!"
"Anything you say." Jupiter snapped as she stepped up to stand right in front of the purple-haired girl and folded her arms. "The truth is that the only reason we even did all of this was that the Queen asked us to do it as a favour. For all I care you can stay as foul-mouthed in decent company as you want Universe!"
There was a horrible pause as Universe glared furiously at her. Nobody cares about me but the Star Raiders… she thought bitterly as she made up her mind on the spot. …and nobody cares about the Star Raiders except me! And then finally, inevitably she exploded. "You're nothing but a bunch of hypocrites!" she yelled. "And I'm not staying here for a second longer!"
Before any of them could bat an eyelid she turned and with stunning agility vaulted over a tall-climbing bush and disappeared from sight.
"Wait!" the Moon Princess called after her as she finally found her voice. "Come back!"
But it was too late…Universe was gone.
Estrella jumped out of Charon's arms and ran forward calling out at the top of her voice. "Come back!" she exclaimed. "Come back!"
"Oh dear…" Mercury murmured so softly that none of the others even heard her – the blue-haired girls face was a mask of utter dismay as she stood staring at the spot where Universe had been standing a moment ago.
"Gone back to where she belongs I bet…back to those Star Raider friends of hers!" Jupiter grunted. "Good riddance if you ask me!"